Search

The article explores Augustine's doctrine of biblical inspiration as discussed in his "City of God," particularly in Book XVIII. It examines Augustine's understanding of Scripture within the purpose of the whole work and the way it advances his argument. It analyzes his doctrine on the inspiration of Scripture as contained in Book XVIII, as well as his teaching on the authority and inspiration of the Septuagint.

Throughout his life John Henry Newman reflected on the nature of Revelation and biblical inspiration, and the role of Tradition in the composition and interpretation of the Scriptures. In this article we point to the indirect influence that Newman had on the theology that was at work in the composition of the Vatican II Constitution on Divine Revelation Dei Verbum. And we look at the direct influence that he may have had on theologians who were involved in the preparation of the various drafts of the conciliar text, in particular Yves-Marie Congar. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1993, in a discussion of fictionality and loyalty to tradition in the Gospel of Matthew, Ulrich Luz pointed out that the writer of Matthew had made substantial changes in the Jesus traditions as taken over from the Gospel of Mark and that in some cases he had even created traditions of his own. The author of Matthew thus consciously engaged in the fabrication of fiction. Nevertheless, according to Luz, throughout his narrative, he clearly expects his readers to accept the referentiality of what is related. This lack of awareness of the differences between fact and fiction places him outside the boundaries of ancient history writing. For parallels to this phenomenon, Luz points to the story of Moses in Deuteronomy and that of the patriarchs in Jubilees. These books, however, are examples of the “rewritten Bible.” This raises the question of whether, with regard to the question of referentiality, the New Testament gospels should be understood on the same presuppositions as the books normally categorized as “rewritten Bible,” and as different steps in a reception history through which the various traditions about Jesus were continually being rewritten and supplemented in accordance with changing theologies and churchly demands. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The article shows that the two narrative fragments of the Qumran second century B.C.E. Apocryphon of Jeremiah C(4Q385a 18 and 4Q389 1) elaborate traditions of the prophet Jeremiah and his scribe Baruch. The juxtaposition of the two types of traditions in a single work attests to its early date. Such an early period, and perhaps even earlier one, is also reflected by the Hebrew Vorlage of the book of Jeremiah. Like the Greek translation this Hebrew Vorlage probably juxtaposed as appendix the book of Baruch 1:1-3:8 to the book of Jeremiah. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article focuses on the affinities and divergences between the processes that the traditions about Jeremiah underwent within extra-biblical literature and those that occurred within the Hebrew Bible itself. The narratival frameworks of many of the pseudepigraphical stories about Jeremiah focus on the period following the destruction of the city and the traditions regarding Jeremiah's fate in the wake of the destruction take a fluid form in post-biblical literature. Accordingly, the article deals particularly with the fate of the prophet by the Babylonian conquest of Jerusalem; the traditions about Jeremiah in chains; the historization process linking Jeremiah and Gedaliah; the different geographical traditions regarding the location of Jeremiah after the exile; the development of the traditions regarding Jeremiah and his relation to Baruch; and the portraying of prophecy as needing preparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of the article is to critically question whether the church is still able to guide people to make meaningful choices with regard to marriage and sexuality when values keep shifting. This question is especially relevant where the church still tends to uphold premodern values (heteronormative, patriarchal, monogamous) with regard to sexuality and marriage as the only (prescriptive) model for marriage in a postmodern world. The article consists of the following sections: changing values versus traditional values; marriage and sexuality from biblical times to the present; church in crisis; and eco-feminist family ethics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Socialinių Mokslų Studijos is the property of Mykolas Romeris University and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article presents the author's view in response to essays published in the 2011 issue of "Religion & Literature" 42.1 2. She argues that the volume's determined encounter with medieval religious studies and specially medievalist professions of faith in the academy underscores how a focus on religion belief. She proposes that being raised in various Protestant traditions which embrace deep familiarity with reading the Bible would offer a good preparation for the medievalist's vocation.

One of the main goals of this paper is to comment on the eschatological notion of "end" as found in a Syriac apocalyptic text of the seventh century, the Syriac Apocalypse of Daniel (or Pseudo-Daniel), recently edited by Matthias Henze and the possible links with the canonical tradition related to the Book of Daniel in the Syriac Bible and to present its own specificity due to the eschatological tone that relates the text with the classical authors of the fourth century like Aphraat. This eschatological tone marks a distance with other Syriac texts of the seventh century with a more political approach' [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the Two Ways tradition, relationship of the Epistle of Barnabas to a stream of paraenetic tradition. It is stated that the tradition is a foundational element in the theology of the Barnabist. It is mentioned that the ethically reductionistic view of the Mosaic law is one of the most characteristic features of the Epistle.

Copyright of Teología is the property of Pontificia Universidad Catolica Argentina and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In the first part of Verbum Domini, we encounter important orientations to understand the concept of «inspiration» applied to the Sacred Scripture, yet recognizing the actual need of greater clarification. From the greater consciousness of the Trinitarian and historical horizon of the Revelation provoked by Dei Verbum, the value of the biblical word as Word of God that speaks is being expounded in the perspective of the Christian image of God and of the Word made flesh, and from the consideration of the Scripture as a very special part of the living Tradition of the Church. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses tradition, particularly commenting on Christian aspects. It examines the erosion of tradition in the face of individualism and society's emphases on science, rationality, and progress. The author reflects on his experience growing up as a Mennonite and his career as a sociology professor. He explores what happens when tradition becomes legalistic or irrelevant to culture. Other topics include the views of sociologist Edward Shills and the role of stories in transmitting tradition.

The article presents a panel on tradition, focusing on the traditions of Christianity and particularly of the Brethren in Christ Church. It comments on the relevance of tradition in modern society and explores references to tradition in the Bible. The authors investigate various topics, including the views of Brethren in Christ Church founders and pastors concerning tradition. One author explores his experience starting a church in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and considers the relationship between tradition and innovation.

The article discusses the traditions of the Brethren of Christ Church. Traditions examined include love feasts, testimony meetings, and separation from the world, particularly in the form of political non-participation. Other topics examined include church seating arrangements, dress, and hymns. The author explores the Anabaptist, Pietist, and Wesleyan aspects of these traditions. He also considers attitudes toward change within the Brethren of Christ Church and notes that he was not allowed to play hockey in high school.

The article discusses the transmission of Christianity through generations, commenting on scripture and tradition. It reflects on the relationship of the Christian Bible to the Hebrew Bible and considers the Gospel of Luke. The author explores the notion of the cannon of trust or the rule of faith and examines confessions of faith. He also discusses his work teaching and researching Church history in Indonesia. Other topics include incarnation, Christology, and the Holy Spirit within the Holy Trinity.

This study focuses on the role of Scripture (the material condition) in relation to the hermeneutical principles of theological method to test the assumed compatibility of Adventist theology and its ministerial paradigm with Evangelicalism in general and the Emergent Church in particular. This methodological comparison will help answer the following questions: Do the evangelical doctrines stand only on the Scriptures, so that Adventists can continue to use them as a faithful expression of their beliefs? Alternatively, do the evangelical doctrines stand on tradition and the Scriptures? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

David Kelsey's is read in the context of the traditions of Christian theology, especially in Europe and North America, and of Kelsey's Yale colleagues. Its theocentric, scriptural and thoughtfully experimental contribution to theological anthropology from the perspectives of creation, consummation and reconciliation is analysed, appreciated and assessed. Implications of Kelsey's identification of three distinct plotlines in the Bible are explored. Questions are raised about the range of his Christian conversations, the limitations of his reliance on narrative, his neglect of significant parts of the Bible and Christian tradition, and his focus on the interaction with secular rather than religious dimensions of the contemporary world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article examines the fundamental aspect of the Pauline doctrine in the Letter to the Galatians which expresses how Christian liberty in the Spirit relates to continuing moral discipline. It explores the Greek terms stoicheia and stoicheō, aiming to show how these words have definite meanings considering the Biblical interpretation to clarify theological concepts. It talks about the translations of stocheō in the context of having a spirit-led life where law is no longer necessary, the effect of translation on distorting the Biblical interpretation, and the significance of Paul's thought in providing the literal meaning of the words stoicheia and stoicheō.

The article discusses the contributions of Cardinal John Henry Newman to Biblical scholarship, his views on how the scripture interrelates with tradition, and his thought on the inspiration and reliability of the Bible. It mentions Newman's religious intellectual formation with three stages that he maintained including the parents and teachers as the first informants, the Scriptures, and the moment where time and opportunity for research is available. It notes the issues regarding the Bible's inspiration and inerrancy and the mechanistic condition of inspiration theories such as the dove and the lyre.

Is "human life" strictly a biological phenomenon measured from the moment when sperm and egg combine? Or does "human life" not actually begin until the immaterial aspect known as "the soul" appears at some indeterminate point? This essay examines the views held by various adherents of the Christian faith regarding the concepts of "conception" and "ensoulment" and the relation of these views to contemporary ethical issues having to do with abortion, in vitro fertilization, contraception, and stem cell research. The essay discusses the fact that Christians historically have been characterized by a marked lack of unity concerning the teachings of the Bible and tradition on these issues. The paper concludes with a discussion of how Pre-existentianists, Traducianists, and Creationists might or might not be troubled by contraceptive and abortive procedures, depending upon their varying convictions regarding ensoulment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the lectionary texts for the season of lent which offers introspective self-examination for people in returning to God. It states that the texts from prophets Joel, Isaiah, and Matthew remind the humankind that imposition of ashes and fasting as traditional rites for the lent season are not the signs of penitence that God is looking for. Moreover, it notes that the discussion of the biblical texts aims to let the people deeply understand the purpose of God's sacrifices.

Copyright of Studii Teologice is the property of Studii Teologice and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article reports on the ancient ways of praying the scriptures which will improve preaching. It states that the sacred reading of scriptures or Lectio Divina is an old practice by Christians of engaging in the written word of God. It notes that Lectio Divina is composed of four elements which includes comprise careful reading of the text, meditation, and contemplation.

The article explores the different traditions related to the spelling of the word "Nivhaz." It discusses the Bible verse II Kings 17 which read that the king of Assyria brought people from other lands for settlement in the cities of Samaria. It notes that the word is written with the letter "nun" which make it Nivhan. It explains that Nivhaz was represented by a dog. The Babylonian Talmud and the Jerusalem Talmud quote this verse and have the spelling Nivhan.

This article examines one way that Calvin rewrote or edited his works across his various editions, adding patristic material. These patristic expansions represent one of the most significant methods by which the commentaries and the Institutes grew in length. The lengthening was not merely an elongation, but also an addition of authority and gravity. The article analyzes three instances of expansion to demonstrate Calvin's implicit acceptance of the medieval model of authority. While Calvin's use of patristic material was varied and at times nuanced, frequently Calvin's addition of the patristic and sounder medieval source material represented a foundational acceptance and establishment of the tradition's ''handing on'' of the basic form of right religion. Calvin's use of this practice revealed his acceptance of an orthodoxy in particular fathers, his formation of a traditional theology, and his establishment of correct tradition as a source of theological authority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Elijah Levita’s (c. 1469–1558) study of Hebrew was part of the longtime Jewish occupation with the language of Scripture. Yet much of Levita’s scholarship was at odds with prior Jewish approaches to Biblical language and the transmission of the Biblical text. In his many works, Levita provides a critical account of the development of Hebrew, Aramaic, and the masoretic scribal traditions. This article examines the relationship between Levita’s critical approach to the Bible and the Christian context within which he worked. With the rise of Christian Hebraism, an increasingly sophisticated and sustained discourse on Hebrew developed outside of Jewish circles. This created an alternative setting within which Levita could produce scholarship that challenged prior Jewish notions of language and the Bible. The viability of Levita’s scholarship was no longer contingent on Jewish reception alone, allowing him to express critical ideas without fear of internal censure and without assuming the hermeneutical posture typical of pre-modern Jewish scholarly expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Društvena Istraživanja is the property of Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The article presents a criticism of the article "The Meaning of Masoret in Ezekiel 20:37 and in Rabbinic Hebrew," by Shamir Yona and Mayer Gruber that was published in issue 10:2, 2007 of the journal. The author argues that the article's reading of the word masoret (tradition) is not supported by evidence in Rabbinic sources and language.

Spirituality is an important aspect of being a human. One may approach this topic from a purely psychological or religious perspective. In this paper, it is argued that spirituality as defined from a purely psychological perspective is inadequate to capture the depth of this human experience because it misses the core of spirituality—discipleship. Following Foster’s () Streams of Living Water, it will be argued that discipleship is the core of Christian spirituality, and each of these streams provides an important context for fostering one’s relationship to the transcendent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the contributions of Gerhard von Rad to the study of the Old Testament (OT) theology. Von Rad's publication on the theology of OT, which considered testimony as an intrinsic OT, stirred debates which brought it back in the scholarly agenda. The author suggests to divide the concept of theology into three aspects such as interpretation, reflection, and tradition, to understand specific tasks better. He resolves that von Rad's interpretation of the theology of OT describes the history of the ancient Israeli religion.

This article reflects on the function of texts in tradition, taking as a starting point these three aspects: 1) Tradition as non-text, that is to say as the original reality of what Christ gave us in His words and in His life; 2) the texts of tradition (first, the writings of the New Testament, followed by the other texts which, throughout history, have borne witness to the faith of the Church); and 3) the interpretation of these texts, which takes into account not only the criteria that emerge from the texts themselves (pre-text, con-text and effects) but also other elements of tradition which have an essential hermeneutic dimension. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proceeds from the premise that Russian iurodivye—or fools for Christ—display a remarkable resemblance to the Hebrew prophets. As it explores the genealogical link between these two cultural paradigms, the paper shows that, during the various stages of the developmental history of holy foolery, the figure of the Old Testament prophet served as the holy fool's literary and behavioural model. The influence of the prophetic paradigm on the cultural phenomenology and hagiographic imagery of iurodstvo was exercised through the prominence assigned to the prophet in the written, visual and audible texts available to the Eastern Slays from the beginning of Christian era. On the literary level, this enduring influence is discernable in the prophetic topoi that reached holy foolish hagiography directly and indirectly. While the direct venues are confined to Old Testament texts, which described the lives and acts of the Hebrew prophets, the indirect ones include New Testament texts and hagiographies. When the holy fool finds his place in the urban setting, his paradigm undergoes crucial changes, losing its ascetic aspects and acquiring the prophetic ones. This shift of emphasis defines Russian hagiography and cultural tradition, where the iurodivyi often emerges as the Russian version of the Hebrew prophet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the conversion of pagan gold to Christian currency in the poem "Queste del Saint Graal." It is stated that the author of the "Queste del Saint Graal" is a dramatic witness to the assertion of Saint Augustine that the translation of pagan gold from the pre-Christian textual tradition to the redeemed Christian milieu is a divinely prescribed activity. It is suggested that the author has laid out to achieve his recontextualizations, preservations and Augustinian elaboration of inherited materials for evangelical display purposes.

This article makes the case that modern ideological republicanism has its roots, not in Athens or Rome, but in Jerusalem. It begins from the observation that republican political theory underwent a dramatic transformation in the middle of the seventeenth century. Before 1650, republicanism had always been a 'relative' position: those who argued in favour of republican government did so because they believed that republics were better than monarchies for various reasons. None of them had any interest in arguing that monarchy was an illegitimate constitutional form. In the second half of the seventeenth century, however, we see for the first time the appearance of what we might call republican 'exclusivism', the claim that republics are the only legitimate regimes. This article argues that the 'exclusivist' turn was prompted by the Christian encounter with a tradition of rabbinic commentary on two chapters of the Hebrew Bible (Deut. 17 and 1 Sam. 8), according to which the Israelite request for a mortal king was regarded as an instance of the sin of idolatry. It further demonstrates that the English pamphleteers at the centre of this story - John Milton, James Harrington, and Algernon Sidney - were themselves deeply conscious of the degree to which their views had been shaped by the writings of the 'Talmudical commonwealthsmen'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 1666 Comenius wrote a dedicatory epistle, addressed to the Ottoman Sultan, which he intended to be printed with a translation of the Bible into Turkish: in it, he expressed an unusually conciliatory attitude towards Islam, while also defending the Christian Bible against the Muslim accusation that it was a corrupted text. This article prints the text of the epistle and discusses the background to it. Comenius's attitude towards Islam is examined, across the range of his other writings. His belief that the Turks could and would be converted to Christianity is also connected with the apocalyptic anti-Habsburg prophecies of Mikuláš Drabík, which Comenius promoted. And his defence against the charge of textual corruption is located in a tradition of argument which can be traced back, via the Calvinist Johannes Hoornbeeck, to the response made by a Roman Catholic, Filippo Guadagnoli, to an anti-Christian text written by a Persian scholar in 1622. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Christian Holocaust scholars insist that historical atrocity should catalyze religious change. Many established Holocaust theologians presume that the antidote to anti-Judaism involves identifying an authentic version of Christian faith lacking moral blemish. However, recent responses tend to view the Bible and the Christian tradition as irreducibly ambiguous. These new responses foreground perpetrator perspectives and correlate developments in theological reflection with evolving public Holocaust representations. They are distinctive in advocating careful examination of biographical connections to the Holocaust, including family, religious, and national identification. In significant ways, emphasis on ambiguity in recent Christian Holocaust thought provides critical leverage on the redemptive tendencies of popular Holocaust remembrance in the United States. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article is a contribution to ongoing discussions about the problem of dating biblical texts. Initially, it sketches briefly progress in dating—defining "progress" as movement toward a designated goal that is measurable by the success with which researchers are able to determine and eliminate incorrect answers to their questions—made by employing literary, socio-anthropological, and linguistic criteria. It then considers the usefulness of archaeological discoveries for such dating through an evaluation of what might be learned from Iron Age inscriptions with biblical connections discovered in excavations, concluding that "the contribution of archaeology to dating biblical texts is nil". [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jewish tradition from antiquity to the present has been ambivalent about the Bible, despite its obviously foundational role. One reason for this surprising phenomenon is the extent to which the Talmud usurped the Bible's place, particularly (though not only) within the Ashkenazi community. Another is the importance accorded the Hebrew Bible within Christianity; even modern biblical scholarship has absorbed some Christian views, albeit in secular guise. As a result, Jews have sometimes been suspicious of those who study the Bible. Nowadays, biblical studies is frequently considered outside of Jewish studies; earlier practitioners were suspected of heresy. The growing interest in the Bible that has taken place within the Jewish community over the last two centuries is the result of both Christian influence and an effort to reclaim what was becoming a lost element of the Jewish heritage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the relationship between Sino-theology with the Bible and the Christian tradition. Sino-Christian theology is promoted by a group of Chinese intellectuals who participated in Christian studies but do not adhere to any Christian church. The advocates of Sino-theology failed to integrate itself with Biblical studies making it unrecognized by the Chinese churches therefore such failure is also a factor why it is unaccepted by the Christian tradition.

The article discusses two competing theological traditions concerning the conscience, the Franciscan tradition known as "synteresis" and the Dominican tradition known as "suneidesis." Attempts to define the nature of the conscience by Jerome, who translated the Bible into Latin, and Paul the Apostle are considered.

This Response reintroduces Scriptural Reasoning as portrayed in the essays, showing their various readings and reasonings and how they shed light on SR, while also identifying some lacunae in and between them. The different strengths of these views interact with each other in a highly dynamic and sustaining practice of reading and reasoning Scriptures together, where there is a high degree of mutually responsible hospitality and the possibility of achieving a complex harmony. In conclusion, three tasks for the future of SR are identified: concentrating on the seminal features of the Abrahamic traditions, targeting them and auditing SR performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article reports on the Pentecostal movement which had grown to at least 500 million followers during the 20th century. Their commitment to evangelical Christianity or to the authority of the Bible for all matters of faith and practice is based on Reformed tradition. Aside from this, there has been evidence of the outpouring of gifts of the Holy Spirit throughout the centuries.

Recent debates and conflicts over the interpretation of the Bible among Lutherans both in the U.S. and in other parts of the world impel us to consider our history in a Lutheran tradition, our present challenges, and an agenda for future directions. This introductory essay briefly introduces some of the distinctive Lutheran emphases in the use of Scripture, provides an overview of the other essays in this issue of Dialog which are largely focused on the North American context, and then offers a sample of what two Lutheran scholars in places other than the U.S. are thinking about their experiences as Lutherans using the Bible in places like Malaysia and Argentina. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to a widespread tradition in the ancient Mediterranean world (attested in Herodotus, Aelian, Pliny and other writers), vipers killed their mother during their birth, hence were associated with parent-murder. Ancient writers sometimes used parent-murder as an example of one of the worst conceivable crimes, one that invited divine vengeance. Whereas Matthew's source may apply the image of vipers' offspring generally to the crowds listening to John the Baptist, Matthew applies it specifically to the Pharisees in all three of the passages where he recounts the image. In two of these instances the Pharisees claim honorable descent; Matthew ironically inverts the value of this claim through this image of vipers' parent-murder. Matthew utilizes the image for his intra-Jewish polemic, contending that his Jewish-Christian hearers are truer heirs of the patriarchs and prophets than the Pharisees are. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]